Whilst growing up, Hawaii lived to be one of the most picturesque places I could imagine.  Mind you, as a child, I hardly knew about the true beauty of New Zealand, Western Ireland, and the many gorgeous locations I had ahead of me in life.  And in incredibly picturesque locations it only makes sense to take part in wonderfully picturesque activities.  So when my new European friends that I met in Waikiki suggested we rent mopeds and buzz around the island of O’ahu, my answer was a no-brainer.

As a young American female, I possessed a romantic image of gliding through the streets of Rome on two wheels with my arms around the waist a hot Italian guy.  That’s the teenage girl fantasy I had of mopeds.  So when I sat atop a scooter in downtown Honolulu and the guy told me, “just take it around the block,” my experience level of zero had me slightly worried.  Which is probably why I found myself literally inches from crashing into the side of a car.  Yet, when I pulled back into the alleyway in front of the moped shop and he asked how it went, I naturally replied, “Great!”  The four of us were off to see O’ahu’s east coast with fresh eyes.

For the first twenty minutes, my anxious pace held me a few city blocks behind the rest of the crew.  By the end we were racing and I blew kisses as I flew by my friends singing “Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride” at the top of my lungs.

Our route took us around the south eastern edge of the O’ahu.  From Honolulu to Waimanalo Beach to Lanikai, we wound around the sides of the coast without failing to stop at as many stunning spots as we could find.  On Waimanalo Beach we found ourselves to be in the company of two or three other beachgoers and for the first time I truly felt I had attained that lifelong desire east-coasters have of visiting Hawaiian paradise.

After just a small taste of Hawaii’s beauty, I left wanting more.  More volcanoes, more trekking, more poké bowls.